A mass public lynching of suspected kidnappers took place in central Mexico, resulting in their deaths.

Hundreds of people in the central Mexican State of Mexico nabbed three people that were suspected of being kidnappers, beat them up and killed two of them before the police intervened, international media reported Thursday.

The incident actually took place on Tuesday in the town of Santiago Atlatongo, just north of Mexico City near the Teotihuacan pyramids, where about 600 people detained three people, including a woman, and lynched them because they were allegedly involved in the kidnapping of either a child or a young man, according to official information based on police reports that are yet to be clarified.

When police intervened to stop the beatings, the mob of people responded by throwing sticks and stones at the security forces. Despite the police intervention a man and a woman died, while the third man was rushed to hospital. He is now under investigation in connection with the attempted kidnapping.

Mexican news outlet Animal Politico on Wednesday said 18 of the lynching mob had been arrested but later released, as prosecutors could not gather evidence to substantiate any wrongdoing by them.

Animal Politico also said that a man from Santiago Atlatongo had been found on a road some 20 miles from where the lynching took place, and that he had told police he had been kidnapped but later released by one of the persons in charge of keeping an eye on him.

Police officials said they believe the 25-year-old man is the person the three alleged kidnappers had abducted.